Some would say that putting together a year-end list of your top 100 albums and EPs is insane. And I agree. It’s one of the most ambitious things I’ve attempted since I started writing for IVM. So how did I do it exactly? Well I started out by putting together a list of all the albums and EPs I listened to during 2020—a feat in its own right. When I was done I had a list of about 300 releases which I then set out to rate on a scale of 1 to 10. My top 25 albums and EPs were pretty clear after I finished rating everything. It was rest that proved to be difficult. I filtered out all the albums I rated below 5 which reduced my list down to about 150. Then I started the difficult process of making cuts. It wasn’t easy and I’m still not sure I made the right choices, but here it is:
75. Nate Parrish – I’m A Wreck
For the best experience listen while eating Popeye’s chicken.
74. Red Weather – Empty Places EP
73. Bareheart – In The Mo(u)rning EP
72. Susanna Carter – Colours
I discovered this one courtesy of Allie Paige, another artist worth checking out.
71. The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers
70. We Are The City – RIP
I love this song.
69. Jared Marc – THERES NO STOPPING US
68. Red – Declaration
It’s been awhile since I enjoyed a Red album this much.
67. Skyskraper – Floor One EP
66. Fireflight – Who We Are: The Head And The Heart
Fun fact, in the unaired pilot episode of a new release sampler podcast I threw together a few months back this was going to be the opening song on the playlist.
65. Nashville Life Worship – Here for Jesus
64. Convent Bonfires – (IN)SECURITY
63. Oh Jeremiah – Joymonger
62. Alright Years – Show Me Something
Stock music can be fun.
61. CCV Music – Moments 001
I like when worship bands do something creative.
60. Grace Stailey – You’ll Find Your Way Home
59. Death Therapy – Dance Therapy: Pre Apocalyptic Cyber Funk For Late Stage Humanoids EP
58. Almost Always – convalence
57. We The Kingdom – Holy Water
56. Marie Miller – Little Dreams
55. Sarah Reeves – Life Love & Madness
54. Empty Atlas – Kairos
53. Charming To The Last – It’s The Little Things
52. Homeplate – Derby City EP
51. Colony House – Leave What’s Lost Behind
While I prefer Only The Lonely, it’s still nice to have new music from Colony House.
Wow, quite the achievement! Definitely will have to take a listen to some of these.
That Empty Atlas album is a bit of a hidden gem that I would not have discovered apart from your epic list Noah. I appreciate the effort that’s gone into this, and look forward to the second half.